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This documentary portrays the Santal people, native to the north of India. It is one of the largest ethnic groups whose origins go back to India’s indigenous population. While written language is a relatively recent development for the Santal, their myths have been passed down orally over thousands of years. Therefore, each story has a different form, a different rhythm, a different colour – like the mountains and hills of the surrounding region. The men work on the mountain and later in the village, which is in the midst of preparations for the annual ritual. It takes years for a tree to grow, bear fruit and provide shade. A view of Creation and its narrative: Like the myth that stretches from Genesis to the building of the first house, the images unfold with tranquil composure and affectionate reverence. |
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Mania Akbari collaborates with British sculptor Douglas White to coin a tender fusion of langauge, where a meeting of cinema and sculpture investigates the processes of physical and psychological destruction and renewal. Begun a matter of weeks after first meeting, the film charts a deepening artistic and personal relationship exploring the nature of skin, family, death, water, desire and, throughout, a powerful will to form. Akbari looks into the connection between her body and the political history of Iran, investigating the relationship between her own physical traumas and the collective political memory of her birthplace. As she undergoes surgeries on a body decimated by cancer, remembrance and reconstruction provide a framework for investigating how bodies are traumatised, censored and politicized, and yet ultimately remain a site of possibility. |
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